Dragon Ball: Destiny Rising
by dragonov539
Summary: A Red Ribbon back-up plan goes horribly awry, and a new face graces the Earth... - OC Story, beginning a year after the Cell Games.
1. Prologue

Age - 768

Location - Earth

I hate this job. The long hours underground really take a toll on you. Not to mention the boredom of standing around doing nothing but guarding the doors to this stupid room really makes me wish I had all the damn Dragon Balls. The Red Ribbon Army has seen better days, after being almost completely destroyed by that kid Goku years ago, and the disaster that was Gero's Androids, we've barely got a leg to stand on. If it's not the constant change in leadership, it's the dangerous and foolhardy experiments that'll probably kill us all in the end.

Now what remains of us is under the leadership of one Dr. Bedd, a distant relation of Gero's apparently. She supposedly had some of her "cousin's" research and experiments given to her as a fail-safe in case of Gero's death, and for the past year and a half she and her eggheads have been conducting something behind these very doors. I've caught glimpses, but nothing substantial. I just know it's big ground-breaking stuff, but to be honest I don't really care. I just guard the doors.

"Hey, you." I turn around to see the big boss herself, Dr. Bedd, coming my way down the hall with one other guard to her right, "What can I do for you ma'am?" She looks at me dismissively, "Join me inside, I'm gonna need an extra gun. Today is the big day, we might all finally be able to go home after this." I take up the spot on her left and thank Kami that whatever it is they're doing down here is almost over. The guard next to me is some rookie I've seen around before, "Don't worry kid, we're only here in case shit hits the fan, which it won't." He nods his acknowledgment at me, and we follow the Doctor inside.

The Laboratory is a mess inside, papers strung about the place, overturned coffee mugs, and dead tired scientists laboring everywhere. But despite all the squalor, everyone seems to have an air of excitement about them. The room is made up of different workstations all feeding into the main component at the end of it, a giant Incubation Tank with a young-man floating inside. Surprising, but I've seen weirder things, especially working for Red Ribbon. Bedd's assistant, Dr. Cohol, calls her towards the tank, "Madam, please come and observe. Today is most momentous, today Subject-22 takes his first breath." Bedd's smile is full of malice and victory, pretty normal for a Red Ribbon, "Very well, Cohol you may begin, we may no longer be able to kill Son Goku but with this we'll make sure everyone he cares about is annihilated." Cheers and claps spread throughout the room, I myself get a little excited but also start getting a sense of deja vu.

The Incubation Tank begins to light up, and the subject begins to move for the first time as his fingers twitch and his arms start to move within the viscous liquid surrounding his body. Bedd turns to me and the rookie, "Keep your weapons trained on him at all time, if the subject acts out of line you have my permission to eliminate him." As 22 begins to stir several of the scientists begin running back to their work stations, to keep an eye on their precious readings I guess. Aiming down the sight on my rifle, I get my first good look at Subject-22. He has the look of an adolescent boy, no older than 15, with long black hair floating around his head, and a similarly black furred tailed floating aimlessly behind him. Features reminiscent of the very one whose loved ones 22 was created to kill, Son Goku. "Hey rook, any idea why he looks like Son Goku?" The rook shrugs, "I don't know, maybe it's psychological." Hmm, I get the feeling there's more to it than that.

Suddenly, alarms and sirens begin to blare as 22 begins to spasm inside the tank and his screams are heard through the speakers around the lab, "AAAHHHHH!" Bedd's expression is one of confusion and frustration, "What the hell is happening, Cohol? Why is he screaming?" Cohol flips through several of the notes in his hands, "He seems to be reacting negatively to the new stimuli and like an infant, his first instinct is to cry." I bite the bullet and speak up, "Doesn't sound much like crying to me, Doc. He seems to be in a crap-load of pain."

"Thank you for your colorful observation soldier, but the best we can do is let it run its course." Cohol gives me a stink-eye as he says this but I don't care, the screaming is too much for me to give a damn about anything else. Just then, a blinding light appears inside the tank, and a deafening explosion rocks the entire lab. I come to my senses moments later, all around me are dead scientists and to my left is sitting up looking horrified at something. I turn around to see what she's staring at, "Oh, crap baskets." Subject-22 is standing in the middle of the lab, dripping in incubation fluid, breathing heavily with his eyes blank and white, "UUUUAAAAAHHHHH!"

What follows is another world shattering explosion, and as I melt away in the inferno caused by the wailing voice of this man-child all I can think is, "Fuck this job."

O=O=O

A lone figure sits cross-legged on top of a bluff, overlooking a humble mountainside home. Green-skinned, wearing a purple fighting gi, and a white billowing cloak the figure known as Piccolo Jr. begins to stand. Piccolo had just got done meditating, ever since Cell was defeated and Goku had gone for good he'd been watching over his former rival's home and family, specifically Son Gohan. The young half-saiyan had, since his father's death, split his focus in half between training and studying for his career and future. His mother, Chi-Chi, had been reluctant to this agreement, but ultimately decided to allow this because it was what "Goku would've wanted." Not to mention it's also what Gohan wanted, the boy had been given the mantle of Earth's Protector and as he currently stands, the Strongest in The Universe... for now. Piccolo was no fool, he strongly suspected that this kind of peace wouldn't last long; given everything they've gone through, the universe is an inherently dangerous place. Whether it would come from the vast expanse of space, or from much closer to home...

Just then, as the namekian was lost in his thoughts, a giant spike of energy is registered on the periphery of his senses. "What was that?" Almost immediately, Piccolo begins to fly towards the source of this power, "It doesn't feel particularly strong, but this kind of power could wipe out the planet if left unchecked." As he thinks this, behind him Piccolo feels another power, this one all too familiar. "Gohan, did you feel that?" Son Gohan, flying up next to him, looks towards his master, "I did, it's not powerful but it feels... familiar, and also different?" Piccolo concedes, "It's definitely chaotic, uncontrolled, we've got to find the source." Gohan, still trying to figure out the nature of this ki signature, boost his speed to the maximum with Piccolo following closely behind.

O=O=O

The Prince of Saiyans floats with his eyes closed around the gravity chamber built and improved upon by his father-in-law and his wife respectively. Around him, training orbs are flying every which way, trying to get a shot on the Prince. "Hmph, got to raise their accuracy, I'm barely trying and none have hit me." Training at 300x Earth's gravity had seemingly become normal for Vegeta, after the Cell games he may have almost lost his fighting spirit, but it was quickly regained when reminded of the power that Kakarot's son currently possesses. He may have lost his saiyan rival, but he would not slack-off and allow his enemies' progeny to outclass him. Vegeta looks up towards the ceiling of the Gravity Chamber, "Training program 52, off." As the gravity returns to normal and the training orbs return to their holes along the walls, the door to the Chamber opens revealing Bulma Brief, the prince's wife, carrying their two year old son, Trunks.

"Why'd you stop? You were just about to beat your record for shots dodged." Vegeta considers his wife's words, "I need you to raise the potential of this Chamber, I need to reach the level of Kakarot's brat faster than this." Bulma gasps, "Are you crazy?! If we raise the gravity anymore you'd crap out your spine!" Vegeta smirks, "I know, the thought excites me, but nevertheless it's necessary for me to ascend to this ...Super Saiyan 2 form." Bulma uses her free hand and face-palms, "I know, I know, we'll see what we can do but don't expect anything too crazy." She steps forward and hugs the prince, Vegeta had grown to love his wife in his time on Earth, but he'd only ever allow this kind of affection in private, as they are now. His son stares up at him from their embrace, "Daddy?" Vegeta looks at his son, every time reminded of his future version, "Yes son?" Trunks looks at him expectantly, "Can we play soon?" Playing had become Trunks' way of calling training, "When you're 3, boy, saiyans are usually sent to planets around that age..."

As Vegeta explains to his son details about his heritage, a power spike surges through his mind, "What in blazes was that?!" Bulma gives a confused look towards he husband, "What happened?" Vegeta answers, "A large power just appeared on the planet, definitely not one of the humans." Bulma glares at Vegeta, "So what, you're gonna go chase it down?" Vegeta exasperatedly states, "Of course woman, a power this strong, appearing out of nowhere, on this planet? It's too suspicious." Vegeta races out of the chamber and out of Capsule Corp flying west towards the power's source, "This energy feels oddly... saiyan in nature, but that can't be." Vegeta increases his speed blazing across the sky, wondering just what it was that he'd find.

O=O=O

Subject-22 lies in the epicenter of a giant explosion, a blast that has seemingly obliterated the entire Red Ribbon compound and the mountain-top it was under. "What... is this?" 22 rises from his prone position and looks down at himself and his surroundings. "Where am I?... What... am I?" Standing at an average 5'9" and wearing nothing but some kind of stretchy underwear, Red Ribbon's lab experiment looks the part of a lost and confused 15 year old child. His shoulder length black hair, in its strange spiky form, flows in the wind, his lean build suggest he has worked out his whole life, and his black furred monkey-like tail suggest another level of strangeness that Subject-22 does not understand.

22 begins to walk towards the edge of the crater, hoping to find some place, any place that's not here. As he walks he finally feels the strange device that is place around his neck, a collar of some kind. He pulls at it hard, only to be electrocuted and sent into a shattering pain, "AAAAGGHHHH!" The shock subsides soon after, "Lesson learned don't pull on... whatever this is." Subject-22 once again rises and begins to walk away from the crater, when suddenly, just as he's about to climb over the edge, another new feeling assaults his senses. "Aghh, what is that?!" Grabbing the sides of his head in a desperate attempt to stop this new stimuli, he starts to look around for the source of this disturbance. Just as his eyes look east, 22 is left with the sight of three individuals floating above and looking down at him. "What the?! How?!"


	2. Chapter 1

Age - 768

Location - Earth

Gohan's seen some things in his relatively young life, being kidnapped by his uncle at a young age, fighting off a race of alien warriors shortly after, going to a distant planet to defeat an evil alien emperor, fending off against incredibly strong cyborg humans, and destroying a giant crazy-strong bug monster; all before age 12. Now, below him stands a blast from the past, a young man with a tail who looks awestruck, startled, and lost. Clearly a saiyan, but how? To Gohan's left and right stand his master, Piccolo, and the only full-blooded saiyan still breathing in the whole universe, Vegeta. The prince looks furious, "One of you better tell me what the hell I'm looking at!" Piccolo states the obvious, "It's a saiyan, but where'd he come from?" Gohan had been scanning the area since they arrived, and it's safe to say that this crater wasn't here before, "That power spike we all felt must've been what caused this crater. And considering the power I feel from this guy, he's more than likely the source." Vegeta appears to be turning red with anger, "Are the two of you actually considering the possibility that this... thing, is a saiyan?" The prince turns to the startled young man on the ground, "You! Who the hell are you, and where did you come from?"

The saiyan look-alike takes several steps backwards, seemingly in awe of something, "How... are you, floating?" Vegeta is left speechless at the absurdity and randomness of the question. Piccolo seems to smirk at the innocence of it. Gohan on the other hand, "We're using our ki. Do you know what ki is?" The young man's eyes seem to lose focus as if searching for an answer to the question, "Is it, the energy in all living things?" Gohan nods and begins to descend closer, "More or less. Now why don't you tell me your name?" A long pause follows as he begins trying to remember, "I am called, Subject-22." Piccolo and Vegeta recoil slightly at the resemblance that "name" has to the Androids they fought not long ago. Gohan remains calm however, "Nice to meet you, 22, I'm Gohan, Son Gohan." As Gohan begins to extend his hand towards 22, "Huh? What's wrong?" Subject-22 is trembling and his eyes have gone blank, and Gohan can feel his power rising slowly. "Uh Mr. Piccolo, what's wrong with him?" The namekian seemingly having put two and two together, "Gohan get back he's about to-" Immediately Subject-22 lunges at Gohan, "UUUAAAAHHHH!" Gohan is startled and pushed back, but he manages to successfully block 22's wild strike, "Whoa! Man, you're really strong." Gohan reels his head back and cracks 22 across the nose sending him flying towards the crater, "But I'm stronger."

Vegeta is unimpressed, "Wherever he came from, he's not much stronger than Frieza's first form." Piccolo is somewhat impressed, "You're right, but he's much less experienced. That punch was strong, but it had zero technique." As Piccolo finishes speaking, Subject-22 jumps out of the crater towards the sky and flips his body down towards Gohan. "AAAAAAAHHH!" , a large ball of red-colored energy begins to coalesce in 22's mouth, in sync with his screams. Piccolo looks towards his pupil, "Gohan stay on guard, that blast is powerful." Almost immediately the giant ki blast escapes 22's mouth and fires down towards the young half-saiyan. Gohan stands in wait of the blast and instantly goes Super Saiyan, catching the blast in his hands, "Hey! 22, What's going on? Snap out of it!" The Super Saiyan kicks the large ki ball, being held back by his arms, far into the air, where it detonates safely in a large red explosion. Gohan is annoyed, "If that hit the ground there wouldn't be a planet anymore! You're lucky I stopped it!" Clarity seems to return to Subject-22's eyes, but as his irises come into view, 22 clutches the sides of his head in pain, " AAAGGGHH!" Gohan's annoyance is instantly replaced with concern, "What's wrong with him?!" Vegeta yells towards Gohan, "It seems the simpleton isn't in control of his own actions! If he couldn't understand the concept of flight, then it's safe to say that his use of ki is purely instinct!" Piccolo pleads with his student, "Gohan! Take him out! His power keeps rising, at this rate he'll be out of control soon!"

"Right. On it!", Gohan flies instantly behind the screaming 22 and chops him on the base of the neck, knocking him out quickly. Surprisingly Vegeta flies over and catches the falling boy, "Whatever or whoever this is, Bulma can get answers out of him." Gohan agrees, "You're right, if there's anyone who can find out more about this guy it's Bulma. Let's go Mr. Piccolo!" Piccolo joins the three on the ground and observes the boy, unconscious across Vegeta's shoulders, "He kinda looks like you Vegeta." Gohan, surprised, looks towards the boy , "Hey, you're right Mr. Piccolo!" Vegeta looks annoyed and furious, "What are you two imbeciles talking about? He looks nothing like me. Now let's go before I decide to destroy him here and now." And so, the three strongest of earth's warriors head west towards Capsule Corp, with an unconscious tag-along.

O=O=O

As the yellow domed buildings of Capsule Corp appear in the horizon, Prince Vegeta can feel Subject-22 begin to stir, "Hmph, the simpleton seems to be quite resilient. Already waking up, only a few minutes after having his senses knocked out. Perhaps he is a saiyan." Gohan turns towards the saiyan, "Come on Vegeta, you can clearly sense his ki signature is similar to yours, and my dad's now that I think about it." Piccolo looks pensive, "How is that even possible?" Gohan shrugs, "Well, I'm guessing we'll know soon enough." The three land just outside the main building of Capsule Corp, and begin to walk inside, with 22 stirring but asleep across Vegeta's shoulders. Vegeta looks about for one of his wife's assistants, "You! Take us to my wife. She'd want to see this." The assistant is startled at the sight of the seemingly unconscious man, but she complies leading the group towards the main labs. Bulma is found pouring over some blueprints in her engineering lab, with kid Trunks close by playing with his toys. The Capsule Corp president turns towards the group making its way into her lab, "Hey! Gohan! Piccolo! What are you two doing here?" Then Vegeta walks inside carrying 22, Bulma's expression changes quickly, "Who's that?"

"This is the source of that power I 'chased' down, as you put it.", states Vegeta. Gohan pipes up, "Mr. Piccolo and I also felt him, he's strong but not very skilled. We just want to know where he came from." Bulma raises an eyebrow, "What makes you think I can help with that?" Gohan ponders for a second, "Well, it was you who deduced everything about the Androids. And we have reason to believe this guy's related somehow." "So you're saying he's an Android?" asks Bulma. Gohan shakes his head, "No. We can sense him, we couldn't sense the Androids. He's... something else." Bulma steps up to the unconscious 22, now lying face up on a table Vegeta cleared, "Hmm, he kinda looks like Vegeta. And, Goku?" Gohan steps up to the boy at the mention of his father's name, "Huh, kind of. But I mostly see Vegeta." A vein pops on the Prince's forehead, "Would you two stop it! Just find out what he is, woman. Run some test on him, see if he's saiyan. I'll even give you some of my blood to help." Gohan excitedly states, "That's a great idea Vegeta! Here Bulma you can take some of mine as well." Bulma looks surprised at her husbands willingness to help, "Okay, let me get everything set up. One of you carry him and follow me to the biology lab." Piccolo opens his eyes, waking from his "meditation", "I'll take him." Bulma turns to Gohan and Vegeta, "You two come along. We need to take your blood with some special needles." Simultaneously, and unbeknownst to each other, Gohan and Vegeta gulp at the prospect.

O=O=O

Hours later Bulma is found with a new "patient", laid down on a table in the biology wing of Capsule Corp. She'd been running some test for the last hour or so, and administering a sedative in order to keep the "patient" knocked out. As much for his safety, as for Bulma's own. Subject-22, as Gohan said his name was, is a peak physical specimen, and clearly a saiyan. Comparing his blood to both Vegeta's and Gohan's proved that much, but what's strange is that he shares Vegeta's blood type. She decided to run some DNA-Test in order to get some conclusive results, saiyan DNA is remarkably similar to a human's, so it's easy to read and comprehend. As she ponders her "patient", the door to the lab opens, Gohan enters with someone following behind.

"Hey Bulma! Look who decided to visit." Krillin enters on Gohan's trail, "Hey! What's up? Long time no see." Bulma smirks at her close friend, "I'll say, you don't come visit for a over a year and now you suddenly pop-up. What made you stop by?" Krillin looks over to the sleeping 22, "I wanted to see what it was that Gohan found. I felt his power when he first appeared, but I figured Gohan could handle it. And it seems I was right." Bulma looks exasperatedly towards 22, "Well here you see him. A big giant mystery." Gohan walks up to 22, "Have you found out anything?" Bulma nods, "He's definitely a saiyan, no doubt about it. His blood is nearly identical to Vegeta's and very similar to yours, but I chalk that up to him being saiyan." Bulma then pulls open some files on her computer, "What's really surprising is that he shares a blood type with Vegeta, as if they're related." Just then, Bulma's expensive PCR machine finishes it's DNA replication, and begins to print out comparison results. Bulma is taken by surprise, but in the back of her mind she had an inkling that had just been confirmed. "Gohan, go get Vegeta, both of you need to hear this..."


	3. Chapter 2

Age - 768

Location - Earth

Krillin had come to Capsule Corp to see what all the fuss was about, but to say he was amused by the events that followed would be an understatement. Vegeta had seemingly popped a blood vessel at the news, "He's a clone! How the hell was a clone of me made?!" Bulma sighs, "He's not a clone of you or at least, not just you." Bulma rolls her chair over to her computer, "Look, approximately half of his DNA is yours, and about a quarter of it is Gohan's but since we still have to accommodate for another quarter it's safe to say he's not a clone of Gohan."

"Then who's his other half?", asks Krillin, barely containing his laughter. Bulma looks straight at Gohan, "Well... it's Goku's." Gohan doesn't look to surprised, "Yeah, I figured." Krillin finally burst out laughing, "Wait, wait, wait! So you're saiyan this is Goku and Vegeta's son? Hahahaha!" Vegeta seems ready to kill the laughing human, "Quiet fool! Whatever this clone is he's nothing of mine." Bulma looks towards her husband, "You might not care for him Vegeta, but he is genetically related to you, and Gohan for that matter." Vegeta growls his annoyance, "But just who could've done this? And where'd they get my DNA?" Just then Gohan stumbles on the epiphany, "Red Ribbon! It makes so much sense now! They must've had some back up copies of yours and my dad's DNA, from when Gero created Cell." Vegeta, slightly less annoyed, accepts this answer, "But he doesn't have Frieza's or his father's DNA. Why?" Gohan ponders for a second, "I guess Red Ribbon didn't want to make a second Cell, he would've been too strong to control. But then again they clearly couldn't control this guy either." Vegeta realizes something, "The crater we found him in must've been what remains of where he was made. Probably the last vestiges of this Red Ribbon."

As Vegeta and Gohan converse, Krillin walks towards the sleeping 22, "Hey Bulma, what's this thing on his neck?" Bulma walks to the other side of 22 to examine, "Hmm, it's a collar of some kind." Gohan, hearing this, explains, "Oh yeah! He couldn't control his actions after I introduced myself to him. Maybe it has something to do with that collar?" Vegeta offers his insight, "He must've been made for the same reason the Androids and Cell were made, to kill Kakarot. But since the clown's dead, they must've change it to kill his family and friends." Gohan agrees with that theory, "Bulma can you somehow remove the imprint that Red Ribbon has on him? And that collar?" Bulma considers this, "I guess I can, but it's gonna take a while. Whatever's controlling him seems to be mental as well as physical." Gohan takes Bulma's hand and pleads, "Please. Do everything you can. Based on the few words he said, he seems fairly innocent. I wouldn't want to be controlled like this." Vegeta grunts in annoyance, but Bulma states, "You got it kid! I'll do my best!"

O=O=O

Bulma had been operating with some of her best doctors, for the past several hours. Yesterday, her husband had come back with an unconscious saiyan over his shoulders, who turned out to be "related" him as his "clone." Today, because she had promised Gohan, she'd started the first step to undoing whatever Red Ribbon had done to Subject-22, removing his collar. It turned out to be some kind of shock collar and control chip hybrid. Two spikes, and many smaller spikes, were embedded into his neck that connect to his spinal cord. Serving as both a control mechanism and a shock collar. The surgery had taken over 12 hours of meticulously removing each individual spike connected to the spinal cord, and repairing any damage left behind by it's removal. Luckily, Capsule Corp had the time and resources to make the operation go off without a hitch. Thankfully an unconscious saiyan can be cut open just as easily as any human. Now Bulma found herself observing her patient, making sure his vitals were strong and that the surgery had no adverse effects. Trunks was nearby, at this age he would walk all over the Capsule Corp compound, some of her trusted workers had even told her they'd seen him flying briefly. If that was true she'd definitely need to talk to Vegeta about it, if he even cared. Her son was sitting on the floor in the room where 22 was being held, she'd taken to taking Trunks with her everywhere so that he'd learn the layout of Capsule Corp and to keep an eye on him. "Mama? Why won't he wake up?", asks Trunks, looking up at 22. "His body's tired from the surgery, Trunks. He needs to nap in order to regain his strength."

As she finishes saying this, Vegeta walks in the room, "Is he still asleep? Hmph, weakling." Bulma defends her patient, "You'd be completely out of it too if you were just in surgery for 12 hours. No matter how strong you are." Vegeta notices 22's tail poking out from under the covers, "Why didn't you remove his tail? That's nothing but a liability." Bulma eyes brighten at the change in subject, "Funny you should say that." She pulls out several papers from a nearby case, "I was studying his genetics this morning before the surgery, to see if I could find anything interesting. And it turns out his tail doesn't actually do anything to turn him into that giant monkey thing you saiyans do." Vegeta's eyes widen in shock, "What? They removed the Oozaru form from him?" Bulma smacks the papers, "Yup! He just has a functional tail with none of the draw-backs. If you ask me it's better this way, I didn't want to mutilate him by cutting his tail off." Vegeta seems to be silently contemplating something. "Vegeta?", asks Bulma. "He should stay here.", says Vegeta. This catches Bulma completely by surprise, "Wow! What makes you say that?" Vegeta ponders his reasoning, "He's the only other full-blooded saiyan alive in the whole universe, ever since that clown died. And I need a training partner, also I want to see how strong this... tank-bred can get." Bulma considers his request, "Okay! Why not? If anything it might soften you up a bit more to have another 'son.' Hehehe." Vegeta growls at the mention that this thing is related to him, "My blood may run through his veins but so does Kakarot's, that alone put hims below me." Bulma sighs at her husband's pride, "Sure, sure. If you say so."

O=O=O

In a lone room wakes a lone boy, his thoughts are cloudy but his memory intact. The last thing he remembers is hearing a name, Gohan. A name whose appearance in his mind does not trigger any bouts of anger. A name he repeats to himself over and over again, in order to confirm if he's finally in control of his own actions. When he first woke up into this world, Subject-22 was scared. His body moved on it's own and caused incomprehensible damage to the area around him. Too many voices, too many lights, too many sounds. In the end this much stimulation was enough to send him over the edge, almost immediately. Then he woke up in a crater, surrounded by his destruction, but his mind was his own and the world seemed too large and too new for his brain to comprehend. So he decided to walk away from his mistake, and as he was cresting the edge of the remains of his birthplace. He saw... them. People floating in the sky above talking back and forth about him. His infantile mind couldn't comprehend what he was seeing, so he asked the ones floating above him. Two of them seemed surprised at the question, but the smaller one simply explained to him. It was Gohan who was his first real interaction with another person, and it was Gohan's name that sent him over the edge once again. But now, that name brings nothing, just the memory of meeting Son Gohan.

As 22 lies on the bed he finds himself in, contemplating how he got here, the door to his room opens, revealing a woman with purple hair and a sweet smile. "Hey, you're finally awake. I'm Bulma, and you were out a long time." 22 ponders her words and name, "Why do I not lose control when I hear you're name?" Bulma turns impassive, "Were you supposed too?" 22 retreats into his mind, trying to find why her name means something, "I think your name was important to me somehow, along with Son Gohan's." Bulma considers this, "How much do you know about yourself, 22?" The young man sits up on the bed, eliciting a worry from Bulma, but seeing that he's fine she stays put. "I do know that I'm not a normal person. I have an older body, but I was only born recently. And this thing on my neck-" 22 stops talking after having realized that his collar is no longer on him, instead what remains are tiny scars where the collar use to be. Bulma smiles triumphantly, "You're welcome for that. It took a while, but we removed all traces of that collar from your nervous system. You're no longer under anyone's control."

Bulma then confirms his statement, "And you're right, your body is around 15 in appearance but most of your cells are only a year and a half old." 22's eyes begin to water and tears stream down his face, he touches the moisture on his cheeks, "Why is my face wet?" Bulma's breath gets caught in her throat, "They're tears, 22. They usually mean you're sad, but in this case I think happiness is the cause." The door to the room opens once again, and in comes one of the floating figures from his memories. Vegeta frowns at the tears on 22's face and the ones welling up in his wife's eyes, "Woman, don't soften the boy, he may be a clone but he's still a saiyan." At the sound of the word saiyan, 22's eyes widen, "What is a saiyan? I seem to vaguely remember that word. Is it what I am?" Vegeta turns his gaze on 22, "Sadly, yes. You and I are both saiyans, and by some twisted sense of luck the only two full-blooded saiyans alive." 22 looks at Vegeta up and down, "You're Vegeta, your name appears in my mind but not as someone to kill, just someone I should know about." Vegeta laughs at his words, "As if you'd even hold a candle to me, tank-bred. You're probably just remembering that you and I share blood." 22 turns away from Vegeta pondering and staring at the floor, "Hmm, I'm the clone of Son Goku and his rival Vegeta, tasked with eliminating Son Goku's entire family and close friends."

Vegeta frowns again, "Yes, yes. A task that I have no idea how you would of accomplished, considering you can't even stand up to the namekian with your power." Memories seem to be pouring into 22's mind, "Power wasn't necessary, Red Ribbon made me to get to you as well Vegeta, to ask for your help." Bulma is shocked, "What?! Vegeta would never have helped you." The prince however remains silent. 22 recoils into himself and lays down on the bed, "I'm sorry, my memories seem to be returning, including my prime directive." Vegeta walks to the side of the bed, "How is it that Red Ribbon thought I'd help you?" 22 ponders, closing his eyes to think, "Dr. Gero had data of your evil nature, from your first visit to Earth. And what remained of Red Ribbon seems to have imprinted me with a false saiyan identity, in order to entice you to betray this planet." Vegeta latches on to a certain piece of information, "Can you recall this false identity?" 22 closes his eyes, the memories flooding back giving him a strong headache, "I'm sorry, I can't right now. I need time to sort through my memories." Vegeta stands beside 22 with a serious expression on his face, Bulma quickly changes the subject, "Okay! How about we go outside for a walk. You've been in here a while and some fresh air would do you good." Subject-22 opens his eyes and smiles at the prospect, "I'd like that, thank you..."


	4. Chapter 3

Age - 768

Location - Earth

Son Gohan was flying quickly towards West City, specifically Capsule Corp. He'd just gotten done with a batch of assignments his mother had given him when he received a call from Bulma telling him Subject-22 was awake. On the way there, he stopped by Kame House to tell Krillin the news. Krillin was excited at the prospect, but informed Gohan that he couldn't go with him, he and Android 18 had a date apparently. Oh well! Gohan would just tell Krillin all about it later. West City was as vibrant as ever, flying high above Gohan couldn't imagine how so many people could live together in one place, "It must be exhausting.", he thought. Approaching his destination Gohan closes his eyes, he searches for 22's large ki signature. Since 22 hasn't learned how to suppress his energy, he's incredibly easy to find. Out in the Capsule Corp building's huge yard, Gohan finds 22 along with Bulma and little Trunks.

Gohan descends quickly to them, "Hey Bulma, 22, Trunks!" Bulma turns quickly to the excited boy flying down to them, "Hey Gohan, come sit with us!" 22 instantly turns in Gohan's direction, at first feeling embarrassed at how he reacted when they first met, but also excited to talk to the young-half saiyan. "22! You're looking so much better!", exclaimed Gohan. It was true, after waking and having his conversation with Vegeta and Bulma, 22 had the first shower of his life and his first meal. To say that he had a healthy saiyan appetite would be an understatement. Bulma agrees with Gohan, "After everything he ate, I think he could bench press the planet. You saiyans and your eating habits will never cease to amaze me." She looks down at Trunks playing in the grass, "Thankfully, Trunks doesn't seem to share this trait." Bulma turns back to Gohan, "By the way, 22's staying with us. Vegeta wants to train him!" Gohan almost loses his balance, "What?! Are you serious? I never thought Vegeta would willingly train anyone, other than Trunks."

Bulma's eyes darken slightly at the mention of the future version of her son, but she replies quickly, "Yup! Surprised me too. I think it's for the best, it'll keep him occupied." 22 had been quiet since Gohan arrived but quickly says, "Hello Son Gohan, can you teach me how to fly?" Gohan is momentarily taken aback by the suddenness of the request, "You were flying when we first met, albeit only for a short amount of time." 22 grimaces at the mention of the event, "I was not in control of my actions. I don't remember how I did it." Gohan considers this for a second, "Sure! Why not? Come over here to the grass." 22 follows Gohan to the open grass field. "This shouldn't take so long considering you're plenty powerful.", says the half-saiyan. Gohan looks towards 22, "Come on! Sit down across from me." 22 does as told and copies Gohan's cross-legged sitting position.

Gohan begins to instruct clearly and calmly, "Okay. Now, I want you to close your eyes and feel for your energy. Imagine it as a big ball of power sitting in your gut, then simply pull it out and allow it to surround you and lift you up." Subject-22 had never been taught anything, all of his oldest memories seem to be of him in a tank being imprinted with instincts. Looking back on it, that to him seemed forceful and wrong, this seems calm and peaceful. As 22 focuses on that calm and peaceful feeling, a red aura begins to surround him and slowly but surely lift him up off his rear. Gohan looks startled at the quickness of it all, "Whoa! It barely took you five seconds, good job!" 22 immediately opens his eyes at this praise, and realizes that he's flying! He stretches his body in the air and begins to wobble slightly, but remaining calm he gets a quick handle of it. Gohan then joins him in the sky, "Wow! You're amazing, 22! Come on let's see how fast you can go!" But then, just before Gohan and 22 are about to fly off, they hear a childish laughter coming from below them. Bulma yells, "Trunks! Get down here!" 22 nearly falls due to sight, and Gohan snickers to himself uncontrollably. "Cousin Gohan! Let me fly with you!", states the tiny 2 year old. Gohan controls himself and tells Trunks, "You're too small to fly where we're going Trunks. But I'm amaze that you can fly at all!"

22 agrees, "As am I." Trunks' face brightens at the praise, but ultimately does as told and flies back down towards his mother. Gohan has a look of pride on his face, "That kid's gonna be super-powerful one day!" He turns to a still in awe 22, "Come on 22! Let's fly to the Ice Continent and back!" Subject-22 follows behind at his fastest speed, which to a normal human eye might seem impossible, but to Gohan it's relatively slow, at least compared to him.

O=O=O

Subject-22 had done a lot of first in the past 24-Hours, his first shower, his first meal, his first set of clothes (a red jacket, black jeans, dark combat boots, a white undershirt, and a belt with the capsule corp logo), and his first walk in the grass. But this, "This is amazing! I can't believe how easy this is!", exclaimed 22. Gohan flies closely next to 22, "I know right? Isn't it fun?" 22's face grows confused, "Fun? What's that?" Gohan almost stops completely from the surprise, "You don't know what fun is?! Well, it's what you're feeling right now, 22." 22 looks down towards himself and the sky around him, "I like fun!" Gohan smirks at the innocence of it all, but then his face turns sour "I can't believe Red Ribbon thought they could use you to kill people. You're so innocent, you wouldn't hurt a fly." Subject-22's face saddens, "That may be true now, but as I was, when my memories would've returned I'd have stopped at nothing to see your end. And I'm sorry for that." Gohan pleads with 22, "Don't be, you haven't done anything wrong." 22 shakes his head, "I killed everyone at the facility I was born in. They may have been evil, but they still gave me life." Gohan assures 22, "Don't blame yourself for that! Like you said, you weren't in control of your actions." 22 remains silent.

Gohan quickly changes the subject, "So, are you okay? Now that you're gonna live with Bulma and Vegeta?" 22's face immediately brightens, "Yes, I am! They're incredibly nice to allow me to stay with them, at least Bulma is." Gohan raises an eyebrow, "And not Vegeta?" 22 nods, "He's exactly what my imprinted memories tell me he's like, but they did get one thing wrong," Gohan asks, "What exactly?" "He's definitely mean, but my memories don't account for his relationship with Bulma or the existence of Trunks, those two things alone make him vastly different from the Vegeta I was supposed to get to kill you all.", replies 22. Gohan sputters in shock, "W-What!? Kill us all? I thought that was supposed to be you?" 22 chuckles, "Come on, Gohan. You can clearly tell that I'm nowhere near as strong as the likes of you. Red Ribbon has banked on the fact that Vegeta had been evil once, and hoped I would be able to recruit him. Thankfully their plans went awry." Gohan sighs his relief, "Thank Kami for that." 22 chuckles once again, "Indeed."

Gohan turns and asks a question that had been on his mind for a while now, "By the way, do you want to stick with the name Subject-22? It's fine if you do, but don't you think it's kind of impersonal?" Subject-22 considers the question thoroughly, "I suppose you're right, I do have a fake saiyan identity I was meant to use, but even if I do remember it I wouldn't want it either." 22 thinks a second longer and says, "I'll ask Master Vegeta if he could give me a traditional saiyan name when we get back." Gohan laughs at Vegeta's new title, "Master Vegeta huh? Oh I bet he's gonna like that." And so the two saiyans fly a round trip, from Capsule Corp to the north pole and back, having fun and enjoying the sights as they do. Just as they approach Capsule Corp again, Gohan pipes up, "By the way, I'd love for you to come meet my mom and baby brother in Mount Paozu." 22 looks at Gohan confused, "Baby brother?" Gohan quickly explains, "Yeah! Goten! He was born about a year ago." Subject-22 smiles kindly at Gohan, "I'd love too." Gohan grins widely as 22 descends on Capsule Corp, "Great! See you later, 22!" 22 watches and waves as Son Gohan flies east towards his home, "Goodbye, see you soon!"

O=O=O

Vegeta had trained most of the day, but after speaking with the clone, and learning of what this Red Ribbon had planned for him, he was fuming with anger. The Gravity Chamber was no match for him, beating previous time records by several minutes. In Vegeta's mind he was in control of his destiny, to be enticed into doing the work of others is a mockery to his saiyan pride. "To think, that some earthling organisation had the gall to believe that they could control me! Fool me into doing their dirty work! How dare they?!", the prince thought, as he angrily explodes more training orbs. Vegeta smirks as the training program finishes, "And now their creation resides in my home. The irony of it all is amusing." The prince then feels the returning energy signature of Subject-22, "I see he's done gallivanting with Kakarot's brat. Have to teach him to hide his energy, he's a beacon to any Frieza Force remnants."

Vegeta quickly leaves the Gravity Chamber, and heads towards 22's location. He finds him in the backyard of the compound, "You! Clone! Come here we've got some training to do." 22 turns towards Vegeta, "Uh... sure but, I thought I was supposed to rest." Vegeta grunts, "What my wife tells you doesn't matter when it comes to training. Now move it!" 22 falls quickly in-line with Vegeta, "Vegeta, sir. I was wonder-" Vegeta interrupts, "So, you managed to control your ki enough to fly, huh?" 22 is floored by the question, "Y-yes, Gohan taught me. It was fairly simple. Your son even flew with us for a short while." Vegeta's face has a hint of pride, "Yes, I heard. But now I need to teach you something else. How to hide your energy." Vegeta leads 22 to the Gravity Chamber, it's a quiet place when not operating, so it'll serve well for this kind of training.

"What is that you were wondering, clone?", asks Vegeta, as they step inside the Chamber. 22 thought he hadn't heard him, "Oh yes, I was wondering, sir, if it isn't too much trouble, if I could have a traditional saiyan name?" Vegeta's eyes widen at the request, "Hmm, I thought you had a fake identity somewhere in your brain." 22 nods, "I do, but the name is not one I like, and much like my 'Subject-22' designation, it's too impersonal." Vegeta looks up in contemplation before asking, "Alright, would you like a common name or something from the saiyan elite?" 22 had no opinion of common things or supposedly elite things, so to him it's all the same, "Whichever is fine with me, sir." Vegeta then smirks and says, "Very well, an elite name it is, from here on out, your name is... Shallot!" The force of his own name hits him hard in the chest, and makes him stumble from the thought of being called something other than 22 from now on, "Thank you! Master!..."


End file.
